World Prince
by Demitre
Summary: Prince Ryou's ever-busy father, the King of Egypt, decides it is time for his son to get his own slave. One thing Ryou didn't expect was to get the most rebellious slave on the entire planet, let alone being pulled into another world thanks to him. AU.
1. Cursed

**Author's note:** Hey guys, thanks for taking interest in this fic! :3 It's nonetheless my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic, and though it sounds a bit cliché, I promise it gets more original later on. Let's go!

(As a side note, I know nothing of Ancient Egypt, so I'm making up traditions and clothing styles and much more as I go. I hope you guys don't mind, especially since this isn't supposed to be the real Ancient Egypt, but like an alternate to it!)

**Summary:** Prince Ryou's ever-busy father, the King of Egypt, decides it is time for his son to get his own slave. One thing Ryou didn't expect was to get the most rebellious slave on the entire planet, let alone being pulled into another world thanks to him. Semi-AU (AU at first, then they go to the canon world). Main pairing is BxR, with sided MxM, YYxY and JxK.

**Rated M** for descriptive violence, strong language and future sexual scenes/themes (later on maybe other grotesque occurrences will happen, so beware). This is a yaoi fan-fiction (Male x Male), so if this offends you, please skip and don't flame. Thanks!

**Warning** - crap chapter one, because I had to do a lot of explaining of their world & positions and stuff. Forgive me .o. It spices up in the next one, honestly, as there won't be as much descriptions.

The trading market boomed with shouts and yells, the slavers trying to convince the buyers that they sold the best ware. Each seller yelped that they have the lowest prices, and that they are still willing to bargain. People walked around, shamelessly checking out the slaves who knelt down on the dirty ground beside their current owners.

Amongst them, a petite, thin young man walked forward, chocolate brown eyes gazing all around uncertainly, as if he didn't know why was he here in the first place. His somewhat childlike, innocent features were surrounded by semi-long, pearly white hair. Last and most surprising of all, his skin was almost as pale as his hair, which made him stand out from the crowds of people with skins burned by the hot sun of Egypt. In order for him not to turn tan, he ha a long light robe wrapped around him protectively, a hood resting on his head, allowing the sunlight to only touch a very small part of the bottom of the boy's face, even though his eyes shone from the shadows.

Next to him, a slightly taller, tanned boy walked, his bushy, creamy-coloured hair surrounding his face nonchalantly, lavender eyes grasping the view all around him as if he wasn't out in months. He was dressed in a light shirt, revealing his slim belly, and knee-length, slightly baggy pants. He had a faint smile on his lips, seemingly satisfied with his surroundings, unlike the petite boy by his side.

Adding to this, both of them were surrounded by their guards, strong-postured men with their chests bared and looking ready to defend the two of them from any harm, should it come their way.

"Hey, Ryou, how about this one?" the tanned boy asked, pointing at one of the many slaves that surrounded them. It was a girl, dressed in scanty rags, with her head lowered, brown, slightly curly hair hiding her face.

The albino looked over at the slave and felt a pang of sympathy, but knowing he could do nothing, he only shook his head. "No, Malik."

He didn't even want to be here. It was all his father's idea; as rarely as he ever got time to even think about his son, this time he suddenly decided it was time for Ryou to get someone to help him in his everyday life (as if the servants weren't enough). Ryou himself was strongly against the idea of slavery, but until he was the King, he could do little about it, and his father certainly seemed to like having people trained into obedience.

Speaking of which, it was his father who was the King of the whole of Egypt. He was known all throughout the country as a leader with a passion for his people, which seemed bitterly funny to Ryou, given that on the usual daily basis he seemed to forget his son completely. Either way, Ryou was next in line, being the only child of the King. Or perhaps, the only one left.

Malik, his best friend, was also a Prince. However, unlike Ryou, who was to rule the country they lived in, Malik was a Prince of only one town – though it was one of the biggest in the whole of Egypt. Malik was a bit less important than Ryou royalty-wise, however he too would hold great power when he'd find a wife to marry – and for that he had to reach his full maturity age (twenty in this case, and he was but seventeen, a year older than Ryou). His own family was long deceased, but he was considered a Prince still, even though he decided about his town's current state, together with his advisers. But only marriage would gain him full King rights.

Yet another of Malik's shouts interrupted Ryou's thoughts. "Ryou, look! This one has the same hair colour as you!"

Blinking in surprise, Ryou followed Malik's gaze and had to blink again at the sight before him. Seemingly a young, thin man was settled on his knees, his hair white, but wild and bushy, while the Prince had his hair brushed down slightly. His clothing was very foreign to Ryou – he had a striped shirt, and on top of that a light blue robe-like cloth. He had blue-coloured pants, very different to what Ryou was used to seeing. What surprised him further was the man's skin tone; it looked as if he was even paler than Ryou. But there was something that stood out, that made him different from other slaves even more than his appearance – while other slaves knelt down submissively, heads lowered, this one had his own head held right up, an angry expression on his face. The dark, menacing eyes glared at anyone who passed by.

Ryou wanted to refuse and go on, he really did, but there was something about this man that made him want to take a closer look; gulping, he neared towards him, Malik right behind.

Noticing the boys approaching, the slave now busied himself with glaring at the two of them, one at a time, and looked even more angry that he couldn't get to see Ryou's face, so all he could do was stare into the shadows that hid him.

The slaver, a tall, middle-aged, dark-skinned man that decorated himself with jewellery of all sorts, showing off his rich status, noticed their arrival, too. "Ah, this one interests you?" he questioned, peeking down at his property. "Indeed, very different than any other slaves, isn't it? Would you like to purchase him?" he kept on pressuring on Ryou further, making the boy unsure whether he did want this man, but the seller's words made him not want to refuse, either. "Umm, I..."

"Wait a second," Malik eyed the slave up. "He's got bracelets!"

Ryou, avoiding looking at the man's face, looked at his hands, which were tied up behind him, like the rest of the slaves. Malik was right – two shiny silver bracelets settled upon his wrists. He looked at the seller, puzzled.

"Indeed, we suspect this one can use magic, but I wouldn't call him a magician," the man replied. "Besides, he wouldn't remain quiet, so we had to cast a spell on him. Combining the binding spell with the silencing one and casting them onto the bracelets seemed wise enough."

Those weren't normal bracelets, of course – they were specially used to disarm anyone of magical sources, so they couldn't cast any spells at all, as well as forcing their wearer into obedience. Which just made the slave more dangerous than Ryou would like. In his confusion, he finally looked at the albino's face, just to be met with furious dark eyes that seemed to ask: 'How _dare_ you _buy_ me?'.

Turning away, he mumbled something inaudible to the slaver, who resumed his endless monologue about how this white-haired man would make a magnificent slave to anyone. Finally giving up, Ryou nodded his head, and the rich man clapped his hands in victory. "Excellent! Now then, let's talk about the price, shall we?"

In the end, Ryou had to pay three thousand gold pieces, which was a little below average price for a slave (not to mention it didn't have much value to Ryou, who had more gold than anyone would ever dream of, being the Prince). He'd have to pay much more if not Malik's skills in bargaining, who instantly decided to help Ryou out once he noticed his friend was completely hopeless in this matter.

"Very well," the man nodded his head as he received the gold. "Now that the deal is done, let me get a suitable chain for your new slave, and-" He was abruptly cut off by a voice behind him.

"Leader!" a young man ran up to the seller, who gave him an angry look for disturbing him while he had buyers. "Forgive me, but the new slave batch arrived."

The man hesitated, before looking at Ryou questioningly.

"It's alright," the Prince said instinctively, his polite nature taking over. "We can wait."

"It will only be a minute," the seller promised, before he walked to the side with the other man, where a carriage stood.

Ryou yet again looked down at the still kneeling man, now his own slave, who glared at him with such hate Ryou found it hard not to shiver. By the looks of it, this man wouldn't be what people thought a 'good' slave at all, and the Prince knew very well that he would cause a lot of trouble. So why did he even want to buy him? Because of the seller's pressuring words? No, it was something else, but Ryou couldn't quite put a finger on it. He was simply attracted to the man, not in a sexual way, that is, but there was something utterly familiar in that flaring expression and dark hateful eyes. Or maybe, the real reason was because life as a Prince was the most boring thing in the world, and some part of himself deep inside wanted to change that.

He didn't know. So he just looked up at his friend, wanting to meet his usual reassuring glance that would make him feel better and tell him that even if this was going to be hard, he would have support. But Malik's eyes did not look at him at all. The tan-skinned boy seemed hypnotized by something, staring right past Ryou, mouth slightly agape. "Malik?" Ryou asked uncertainly, but Malik just walked past. "Malik, what are you-..."

Turning around to look at his friend, Ryou yet again blinked in surprise. A tall, dark-skinned man was being lead by two guards, who struggled with him. He fought to free himself, which was quite hard with his hands tied back, but nonetheless, he wouldn't give up, until a third guard ran up to them, holding something in his hand. He stood behind the struggling man and did something to his hands; then, with an angry groan, the man stopped fighting and simply stood there, unable to defend himself, or speak. Ryou knew they must've put the bracelets on him, too.

He was lead next to the slave Ryou bought, and told to kneel down, which he did. Much like Ryou's, this slave was not about to give up so easily, shooting death-glares at anyone who dared to look his way. The white-haired man beside him seemed keen on getting attention from the other, but he looked as if he was unaware of his presence, merely giving him a short glance, clearly not recognizing the albino. Who, on the other hand, looked quite shocked.

Now that the dark-skinned slave was not moving around wildly, Ryou could get a better look at him. His skin tone was a shade darker than Malik's, but his hair was a very similar colour – in fact, they had almost the same fringes, parted in the middle, with streaks left to hang at the sides of their faces, covering the eyes, except the slave had his hair spiky and wild and totally messy. What slightly worried Ryou, however, was the fact that he had the very same lines underneath his eyes as Malik did, and they wore the same earrings.

"Malik..?" Ryou whispered, half to himself as he neared the slave, as well. Malik gazed down at him, and he gazed right back, eyes flaring in silent fury.

"I want him."

Ryou tilted his head at Malik, who finally looked away from the man to gaze at Ryou. "I want to buy him," he repeated. Ryou shrugged, though he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy by the slave – he was obviously shaped better than Malik, muscle-wise, with a broad chest and shoulders, and looked like he could easily overpower the skinny boy. But Malik seemed determined to make this very slave his own.

And much like Ryou's, he was even more furious upon hearing this, his lavender eyes glaring at Malik with what looked like a strong murder intent, as well as a warning that read 'don't even think about it'.

The seller returned, interrupting them. He held a heavy metal chain in his hands. On one end it had a metal collar, on the other a handle made of metal and covered with animal pelt, so it was comfortable to hold. He put the collar on Ryou's slave, tightening it around his neck. The white-haired man looked like he wanted to bite right into his flesh, but something stopped him – bracelets, Ryou assumed. The slaver turned to Ryou and handed him the handle. "Enjoy your purchase!"

"Wait," Malik waved his hand at the man to get his attention. "I want to buy this one."

"Oh, is that so? Excellent choice, my dear lord, let me have a quick look at him and figure out a suitable price..."

Soon enough, after spending another four thousand gold pieces (the man was very stubborn on the price, telling them that the dark-skinned slave's posture was suitable for hard work, so he was more expensive than Ryou's lean-bodied one), the two Princes walked together, chains in their hands, and their two newly purchased slaves trailed after them unwillingly, the bracelets making it impossible for them to refuse, let alone fight for their freedom.

Regardless, Ryou had a feeling those two wouldn't give up, and that soon, they would cause more trouble than Ryou could even think of.


	2. Madman's Heart

**Author's note:** Thanks a lot for your support, everyone! :3 Also, thank you to puppyloveiscute54, Twilight4everTDI2, Sarah, aminaluvr4life and Stray Neko for being my first reviewers ever! I never expected this much interest ;_; I will try my best not to disappoint you!

Anyway, I figured in the next few chapters we'll mainly focus on Bakura & Ryou establishing some sort of a relationship before we jump into the actual plot, because otherwise it'll move too fast. So, this means the next chapters will be full of Bakura (and occasionally Marik!) causing trouble 8D In this chapter, Bakura's kinda mean, but isn't that what we love about him? .o. /lame excuse for his own sadism. Ah, let's get this going already!

**Warning(s) for this chapter** – strong language, slight violence.

* * *

The hatred in this man's face was so obvious one would pass for a fool if he didn't recognize it. Fuming in fury, dark eyes were so concentrated on boring holes into Ryou's flesh that it seemed almost strange they didn't yet shoot lasers out.

Once back home, Ryou had walked his slave into the room he'd be occupying from now on, which was inside Ryou's own room. The chamber was small, resembling a prison cell, with walls made of stone, no windows and only one metal door, which lead back to Ryou's huge, much more comfortable bedroom. The slave's room had a small bed, and a smaller wardrobe, which could be used for holding any belongings at all, being no more than an old, wooden box made to look a bit more appealing than what it actually was.

Ryou had told his slave to sit on the bed and not to try anything (not to mention, the doors were left slightly open, with two of Ryou's guards waiting outside just in case), and now he stood there silently, watching the albino, who glared back. Eventually, after a few more awkward moments, the Prince figured it would be wise to talk to the slave. After all, he couldn't just refer to him as 'slave' all the time. Well. He could. But he wouldn't.

"Don't do anything," he warned the man, with a slightly weak voice, not feeling sure of his actions at all. He walked closer to the man and reached behind him, grabbing the bracelets which were still settled upon his wrists. The man didn't move one bit. Realizing that taking them off might be a bad thing to do right now, Ryou decided to remove the silencing spell instead.

"_Oorthar anos wehve_," he murmured. The bracelets glowed a pale blue for a moment, before fading back to silver. Instantly, curses and insults and threats were heard, echoing through the walls as the slave shouted and swore.

"...disgusting idiot! Let me go before I stab your face with my nails! How the hell do you fucking dare to give me fucking orders? Do you even know who I am, you-!"

"Enough! SHUT UP!" yelled Ryou, already standing on the other side of the room, grimacing angrily. Much to his surprise, the man did. At least the bracelets still forced him to obedience, even if they allowed him to talk.

"Umm..." the Prince mumbled, feeling his cheeks get hot at his sudden outburst. The albino just glared on. "Right, so.. er, why don't you tell me your name?"

He seemed like he didn't want to reply, but then couldn't stop himself from doing so. "Bakura."

Ryou stared.

"What?"

"Bakura."

"But.. what..?"

"Bakura."

"But how..."

"Baku-"

"Stop that! I get it already!" Ryou yelled once again, ignoring the hotness he felt on his cheeks. "But that's my name too! I'm Ryou Bakura!"

This time, it was the man who stared at him in shock.

"Wait, so where do you come from?"

"None of your business!" Bakura growled, shock passing away to be replaced by anger. Ryou realized that although the slave had to answer any direct questions asked to him thanks to the bracelets, they didn't have the power to make him answer truthfully. Which just meant that he could've lied about his name to freak Ryou out. Yes, that must be it.

"Fine," Ryou agreed, nodding his head, more to his own thoughts than what Bakura said. Still, his polite nature told him to respect the man's need for privacy. "Then can you at least tell me how were you captured? You don't look like someone who was born a slave."

"Of course I wasn't born a slave!" Bakura's eye twitched in annoyance. "Those stupid mortals caught me when I was still waking up!"

"Mortals? Waking up?" Ryou blinked, starting to wonder whether this man had mental issues.

"Yes! I was still dazed, not knowing what was going on and- ahh, why am I even telling you all of this? It doesn't matter. They only managed to get me because of these!" he moved his hands behind his back, and Ryou knew he must've meant the bracelets. "Otherwise, they'd be dead meat by now, those fucking-!"

"I'd like you to stop swearing, if you will," Ryou murmured. "It's impolite."

Bakura was at first startled, before his fury returned full-force. He said nothing.

"A-anyway," Ryou yet again walked closer. "I'm going to remove the binding spell now, but don't attack me or struggle," he instructed the slave, reaching for the bracelets again. Once a few words have been whispered, the bracelets looked as if they turned into grey mist, then back to silver again.

"You are a Magician?" Bakura asked suspiciously once Ryou took the rope binding his hands together off, and backed away.

"I'm still studying," Ryou replied. "I'm good in magic, but not so much direct combat. I can do some tricks with knives, but that's where my skill ends."

Bakura gazed at him warily, rubbing his wrists together. "Take this hood off..."

"What?" Ryou instantly caught the hood in his hands, hiding deeper into the shadows. "Why?"

"Just take it off for Zorc's sake!"

"Who's sake?"

"Take it off!"

"Prince Ryou, sir! Are you alright?" One of the guards peeked into the room, to be met with an image of the slave madly pulling on the hood, while Ryou tried to get away, clinging onto the material. "Prince!"

"I'm fiiinnne!" Ryou yelped, but despite this, the guard stepped in and dragged Bakura away, throwing him onto the bed. Bakura looked like he wanted to swear, but didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, Ryou coughed slightly, wondering how was it possible for Bakura to just throw himself at the boy like that. But then again, it wasn't really attacking. "I'm fine, thank you for the help," he told the guard. The man opened his mouth, about to ask something, but Ryou cut him off. "Please leave." Reluctantly, the guard stepped outside again.

Ryou looked at Bakura. "Don't do that again!"

"Then take the stupid thing off!"

The Prince hesitated, but finally decided there was no danger in revealing his face. After all, he wouldn't be wearing a hood when in the castle anyway, on a regular basis. Slowly, he reached for the cloth and pulled it down, revealing his pale face, big chocolate eyes and semi-long white hair.

Bakura's mouth dropped open in silent amazement, before he shook it off and shouted: "Ryou!"

"Yes, that's my name..." Ryou looked at Bakura as if he was mad, but Bakura ignored it.

"But you... No.. No, you're not Ryou." Bakura's eyes changed from surprised to suspicious.

"What are you saying? That is my name! Of course it's me!"

"Who are you? Where am I? What the heck are you trying to get out of me?" Bakura accused, his hands digging into the covers.

Now Ryou was sure the albino definitely had some issues. "What is wrong with you? I'd think you know who I am and where you are! And I'm not trying to get anything out of you, madman!"

"Answer me!"

Taking a deep breath, Ryou realized this would only lead to another quarrel. "Fine, Iook. I'm Ryou Bakura, the Prince of Egypt, and-..."

"WHAT? You are the Pharaoh? Atem? What?"

"I'm not any Atem! I'm Ryou!" the boy cried, frustrated. Bakura closed his eyes, as if praying for patience, before re-opening them and sighing. "Whatever. Just go on."

Ryou gave him a look, but continued. "As I said, I am the Prince of Egypt. You're in my castle, and you're my slave now. Is that good enough for you?"

"Do you have a sister?" Bakura shot, watching Ryou's face carefully.

"Th-that's..! I.. N-no! And don't ask about this anymore!" Ryou shouted, startled. _How did he..?_

Bakura snorted sarcastically, turning his head away from Ryou. Then unexpectedly, he caught his hair and lowered his head, eyes shut closed. "This is so crazy... what has happened to me?" He looked back up at the boy, his usual angry grimace back on its place. "What is Malik doing here anyway, that son of a...?" Bakura trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"How do you know Malik?" the Prince asked, the slave managing to startle him yet again.

"Let's just say we met before," Bakura replied half-heartedly.

"But..."

"Just answer already, will you?"

"He's a Prince of another town, alright?"

"Prince? Him? Oh please." Bakura face-palmed. He then collapsed onto the bed, not taking off his hand, apparently deciding to ignore Ryou's presence.

"Well," Ryou sighed, turning to the door. "I'm going for dinner now. I guess you can do whatever you want to now." With this, the boy left.

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

_Do whatever I want? Very well, spoilt princess. _Bakura remained unmoved as the boy left, closing the door behind him. He heard him instruct the guards to watch over the room while he was out, then heard his footsteps grow weaker as he walked out his chamber.

Raising himself up, Bakura rubbed his hands again, the places where the rope dug into his flesh still stinging him. He decided to ignore it for now, and crept up to the door, running his palm down it. No lock. How smart. Grinning to himself, he looked around the room, wondering if he could find any potential weapon, since all of his own ones were taken away by the slavers once he was captured. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything useful in here, and after digging through the covers, checking under the bed and inside of his wooden box (apparently his 'wardrobe'), he finally admitted there was nothing that could be used.

Then, an idea came to his head. He began to frankly check his own hidden pockets, hoping that maybe the slavers missed something and that there was still a weapon he could use. He almost gave up, but then he finally found it – a small, but sharp dagger, smaller than his own hand (which was just perfect, because he could easily close his hand on it and it wouldn't be noticed) rested in the pocket on the inside of his pants, right opposite his thigh. Gripping the tiny handle, Bakura grabbed at the doorknob and pulled the door open. The guards barely had any time to do anything before the thief ended their lives quickly and swiftly with nothing but the small dagger. And perhaps he could've run. He really could've just run and try to find an exit. But seeing all the shiny, expensive objects in the chamber made him think otherwise.

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

The alarm bell rang in the castle just as Ryou finished eating his food. Standing up from the table (huge table that was supposed to be used by the whole family, yet he was made to eat by himself), he rushed out of the dining room. Outside, three guards waited for him. "What happened?" he shouted over the still ringing bell.

"There's a killer on the run in the castle!" One of them replied, and all three surrounded Ryou, protecting him with their own bodies in case of a danger.

"What? A killer?" Ryou choked, looking around wildly, as if he expected the said killer to jump out from behind a turn and attack him.

"That's right! He already managed to kill six guards and we still have no idea where he is. But worry not, Prince, we'll protect you!"

Given that this wasn't a very reassuring message, since the killer had clearly already proved to everyone that the guards meant little to him, Ryou only gulped and asked: "Which guards were killed?"

"The two in your room and the the three outside in the corridor, as well as one in the room nearby, guarding King's supply room."

"The two... in my room..." Ryou repeated in a whisper, mind racing. Instantly, he knew what happened.

"Bakura!" he shouted.

"Sir...?" the guards looked at him as if he was crazy, and Ryou realized how stupid he must've sounded, shouting out his own surname.

"Err, I mean, it must've been my new slave!" the Prince corrected himself awkwardly. "But, if he only killed the guards there, it must mean he still is in the third corridor somewhere!" he decided.

"Impossible, sir," the guard who informed Ryou earlier replied. "We searched everywhere on the third corridor and the culprit is not there."

Ryou frowned, wondering where else Bakura could've gone and possibly not kill anyone, when a loud, pain-filled scream echoed through the walls. It came from somewhere above them, and the four men barely stared at the ceiling, too shocked to do anything else, before Ryou finally yelled: "Come on!"

All of them ran out of the second floor corridor, where the dining room was, and began to madly climb the long stairs, with two guards ahead of Ryou and one behind for the Prince's safety. Once there, they heard a mad laughter from the right side of the corridor, so they ran there. Soon enough, a view so terrible came into view Ryou wanted nothing but to turn around and escape, screaming for help.

It was no other than Bakura himself, who sat atop a man sprawled on the floor. The man was clearly one of the guards – his chest was bare, and covered in blood. What was so terrible about this image, was that the strong-bodied man had one of his hands _cut off_, with the other twisted in a strange angle, dripping red liquid. His head lay in a pool of blood, which leaked from the back of his skull. It must've been broken when smashed against the hard floor. Worse still, the smaller, white-haired man had his own hands painted red, and though he held no weapon, his sharp nails dug into the man's flesh, scratching slowly and sadistically. The man only gasped in pain, far too weak to scream anymore, on the edge of life and death itself.

"BAKURA!" Ryou yelled, stepping away from the scene. With a horrible smirk, the slave looked up at him.

"Ryou," he replied, as if the Prince used his name to greet him. "How nice of you to join us, Prince of Egypt."

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Ryou ordered, voice shaking in shock and fear. Much to his relief, Bakura stopped digging his nails into the guard and merely looked at the four of them, his head tilted slightly, an innocent expression on his face. The scene was all so terribly wrong Ryou didn't even know what to say or do next, simply staring at Bakura, mouth hanging agape. It was his three guards who finally came back to their senses and launched themselves on Bakura. To Ryou's horror, it seemed Bakura didn't give up yet, simply jumping off the still body of his victim and preparing himself for a fight.

"No! B-Bakura, I forbid you to fight!" Ryou screamed just as Bakura swung his hand at one of the guards after a successful dodge, his nails graving holes in the man's stomach. Though his expression was calm so far, maybe even bored, now it turned to anger. "You spoil all the fun, don't you, kid? Just like the real Ryou." With this, he stopped, giving himself to the remaining two guards, whom caught both of his arms and stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

Ignoring the 'real Ryou' comment, which the Prince had no idea what it meant anyway, he merely continued to gaze stupidly at the three men. "Um, Prince Ryou, sir," One of the guards mumbled. "Can we kill him?"

Ryou hesitated. According to what he was told, Bakura killed six of his men, and by the looks of it, the man he was torturing earlier was already dead as well. With the other guard wounded in his stomach. If anything, he deserved to die more than anyone. Alas.

"No," Ryou decided finally. "No, you can't kill him."

"B-but! With all respect, Prince Ryou, sir, he killed our comrades! H-he-..."

"I know," Ryou replied, finally regaining some of his composure. "And I think death is not enough a punishment here," he told the guards. "I will make sure he is punished for what he's done, but letting him away with nothing but death is not right."

The guards exchanged looks, but then nodded their agreement.

"And now," Ryou took a deep breath. "Please take him back to his room and call five other guards to help you guard it. Bakura, you are to stay in your room and not try anything," he instructed the slave, who flashed him a hateful look, not at all grateful for having his life spared. "I will call for four other guards to take away these two. And I must report this to the King personally."

With this, Ryou turned away, and began to walk towards the second floor, where the Guard's Room was. He didn't say anything else, occupied with his thoughts, fear still clutching at his chest despite the fact he seemed calm on the outside. It was not fear of Bakura anymore, but more of himself. He would never tell this to anyone, but the real reason for sparing Bakura's life wasn't because he wanted the albino punished further. If he could, he would gladly order the man dead, was it anyone else. It was because something (and Ryou wasn't quite sure what) told him that if he killed this person, he would make a horrible, horrible mistake. Bakura held some major importance, and though Ryou had no idea what it was, he knew one day he would find it useful.

Still, right now, he should probably worry about something else. After all, he was going to see the King personally today. Gulping, Ryou walked into the Guard's Room, ordering a few of them to take care of the wounded and dead guard on the third floor, then turned back and began to climb the stairs again, his target on the very top floor, where the King's Chamber awaited.


	3. Madman's Run

**Author's note:** *hugs everyone who reviewed* I love you guys ;o;

& anyway, this chapter will be evil & quite long, also might feel a bit rushed/confusing near the end, forgive me, I just really needed to get a certain person out of the way XD;

But I think you guys will like the next one, because I have a plan to reveal a bit of what's happening to our dear Atem, who we all know should be the ruler instead of Ryou :3 Which also means the plot unwinds, finally! With this, let's gooo.

**Warning(s) for this chapter** – Malik being smartypants, emo Ryou xD At least Bakura will still be Bakura. Slight racism, but not really; only implied. Minor violence.

"He did WHAT?" Malik shouted in Ryou's face, who only sighed back and nodded his head. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

After visiting the King and reporting to him on everything (the King requested for Bakura to be executed, and Ryou had to spend a long time trying to persuade him otherwise, and to make things harder, just then one of the guards had to enter, claiming they found gold jewellery hidden in Bakura's pockets), Ryou sent a messenger to go to Malik's Palace and tell him that he should come as soon as possible, since Ryou needs to urgently talk to him. Of course, Ryou didn't expect the boy to come first thing the next morning, lead by his own guards and accompanied by the messenger Ryou had sent. Still, he was grateful for Malik's quick arrival, as he really needed to get some of his thoughts off his chest.

So now, the two of them sat together in one of the top-floor guest rooms, with the guards standing outside. Ryou had just finished telling Malik all about Bakura and his actions, and Malik wasn't pleased, to say the least. He stared at Ryou in utter startle, before finally regaining his composure. He took a deep breath and proceeded.

"But I thought you told him not to try anything?" Malik asked, a frown forming upon his handsome features. Ryou used to envy Malik for his appearance, wishing he himself would be more attractive, but he finally got over it a few months ago, realizing that he'd always look like a twelve year old kid and there was no stopping it.

"I did!" Ryou defended himself. "I told him and-..." he paused, remembering their conversation. "Oh crap."

"What? What happened?" Malik asked impatiently, leaning in towards Ryou in anticipation.

"I told him..." Ryou put a hand over his mouth in shock before he continued, his voice muffled. "I told him he can do whatever he wants."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah." Ryou felt his cheeks getting warm, and gave his friend an apologetic look. He face-palmed in return.

"Ryou... But why?" Malik asked eventually, once both of them got over the fact.

"I-I didn't mean it that way!" the Prince tried to explain himself. "I meant that he can do whatever in the room! Like sleep or something! Not murder my people!"

Malik looked at him with his 'you fail' expression, before sighing again. "Ryou, did you ever have a slave before? Did you ever even gave an order to one?"

Ryou blushed again. "No."

"Yeah, I thought so." Malik, oppositely to Ryou, had big experience in slavery. As far as Ryou knew, the tan skinned boy had begun to boss around his slaves ever since he was nine, and now, eight years since, he clearly knew more about those things than the albino.

"Okay, so let me teach you a little about how things work with slaves and orders," Malik began, his expression still not a very happy one, but nonetheless, he seemed satisfied once Ryou nodded in agreement. "You must learn how to give your slaves proper orders. Sometimes, it isn't as simple as saying 'don't attack'. You have to think deeper into what you want your slave to do or not to do, and then decide on an order that will cover it up without bringing potential misunderstanding in. So, if you don't want your slave to hurt anyone, instead of forbidding them to attack, tell them not to come near any person they see. That way, not only will they be unable to attack, but also won't attempt to do anything else, like pushing or pulling on your clothes, which could be an easy way to suffocate you and isn't really an attack in itself." After this, Malik gave him a look, clearly implying the scene which Ryou told him about, how Bakura tried to take off his hood. Ryou flushed. Again.

"Okay," he replied slowly, frowning. "So what you're saying is, instead of a direct order, find one that sums it up instead?"

"Exactly."

"But that takes so long to think of even one! I won't be able to do that if Bakura tries anything else again." Ryou shuddered at the thought of the slave attempting to kill someone, while Ryou himself stood a few feet away, trying to think of a proper order to give to him instead of worrying about the victim.

"It takes practice, Ryou," Malik told him. "Just try it, and soon you'll instinctively come up with those kind of orders. It really isn't as hard as it sounds."

Ryou sighed, but nodded his head. "You're right, I guess. I mean, I don't really have a choice, either."

Malik nodded back, a smug grin spread across his face. "So anyway, where's that slave of yours?"

"In his room, guarded by seven other guards."

"Seven!" Malik exclaimed. "You sure are cautious now, huh? I don't need that many to guard Marik, even though-".

"To guard WHO?" Ryou's eyes widened in shock, his mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Marik," Malik replied, face flushing slightly. "Well what! He's the slave I bought, remember? Stop giving me that look!"

"Malik, doesn't that concern you at all? I mean not only he looks almost just like you, his name is almost identical, too?"

"Excuse me, Ryou," Malik said sharply, anger upon his face. "But it is not my slave who claims to bear my surname. Besides, wasn't it Bakura who murdered your men? And it's not like you two are that different in appearance! I'm not telling you to like Marik, but stop accusing him of things."

_But it's not about me liking him_, Ryou defended himself inwardly. _I'm just worried about you._

Still, he knew better than to try and argue with Malik. And his polite nature told him it was impolite to argue in the first place. So he only nodded his head. Malik crossed his arms against his chest and nodded, too, while Ryou decided to alternate the topic.

"Anyway, so you left him in your palace? How many guards are with him?"

"Huh? No, he's here with me."

They stared at each other blankly, with Ryou barely stopping the 'what?' that yet again asked to be shouted out.

"Where?" Ryou finally whispered, unable to stop the slight note of fear in his voice. Somehow, Malik's slave, this all 'Marik', scared him more than Bakura, even if it was the albino who committed crimes so far.

"He's downstairs in the hall with my guards," Malik replied vaguely, and Ryou raised an eyebrow. "I told you to stop giving me that look! Marik didn't do anything wrong."

"Would you stop trying to accuse Bakura so much? I get it, he killed my guards! But stop being so defensive over Marik! He's just as dangerous!"

"Look who's talking! You keep on defending your little white murder, you even objected to his death! And you tell me_ I'm_ being defensive?"

This wasn't even about Bakura and Marik anymore, it was about one boy trying to prove the other wrong, even if one of them knew he was going to lose.

"Are you being racist to me and Bakura?" Ryou asked, telling his politeness, which desperately tried to make him sit back and apologise, to go the hell away.

"What? You dumbass, your hair is white!" Malik pointed out, but he did blush.

"Just because our skin colour is different than yours doesn't mean we're worse!"

"I never said it did! If I thought so, I wouldn't be friends with an annoying brat like you in the first place!"

The two of them glared at each other, big chocolate-brown eyes trying to probe holes into pale lavender ones, which fought just as hard. Eventually, the pressure lowered, and the two of them sat onto their couches opposite each other (when did they get up?), neither saying a word. After a few minutes of silence, Ryou was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, Malik. Of course I don't think you're racist. I'm sorry... I'm just worried about you," Ryou said all this with his eyes on the floor, and when he finally looked up, Malik was gazing at him uncertainly, as if he didn't know what to say to this. "I guess I'm a bit scared of Marik because he's so similar to you, and he looks strong as well. Though I admit, you're right – the same can be told about me and Bakura." _And ironically, I don't find it nearly enough as scary as you and Marik_, Ryou thought bitterly. _Why?_

"Yeah, it's okay," Malik replied finally. "I'm kind of sorry, too. I shouldn't have been implying those things anyway." Ryou didn't know whether Malik meant that he kept on mentioning Bakura's crimes, or whether he meant the racism, but he didn't comment on it. He only cleared his throat before asking: "So, er, how is Marik doing anyway?"

"Fine," Malik answered, shrugging. "It's only been a day, but he's bearable. I mean, he is a bit of a trouble-maker every now and then, but what slave isn't?"

Ryou found this hard to believe, especially since slaves were known to be shy and obedient, but he nodded.

"Do you want to go and see him?"

The Prince stared at Malik. "Er..."

"Then you can see yourself he isn't that bad!" Malik protested. "I didn't mean anything else by it!"

"No, I didn't think you did! J-just, umm.. I mean... er, yeah, okay, let's go." Ryou, red as a tomato, got up and quickly made his way over to the door, swinging it open and stepping out. The two guards gave him a surprised look, and he felt even more stupid for stomping out of the chamber like that, but he said nothing, passing by them and making his way down the stairs, with Malik running after him, shouting: "Hey!"

Once they arrived downstairs, Ryou walked towards the hall, which was the very first thing people found themselves in after entering the castle. It was big and round, with two sets of stairs on both sides opposite the gate, which both lead to the first floor. In the middle, on a clean, polished floor with light-blue markings, painted to resemble flower pelts, five men stood, four of them with their muscular chests bared, wearing dark-red pants and thick, copper necklaces on their necks. This was how Malik's guards were dressed, to symbolise they came from his town. They surrounded a dark-skinned man, whom Ryou quickly recognized to be Marik. He had his head lowered, his bushy light hair hiding his features. Upon seeing him, Ryou slowed down his pace, uncertainly stepping forward, so Malik easily passed by him and approached the men first. The guard whom stood in front of Marik stepped aside to let Malik through.

Marik didn't move even once when Malik came closer. Ryou noticed he still had his hands tied with strong rope, held behind his back, and he wasn't that surprised. The Prince gulped warily as his friend stood right in front of the slave. "What's up, Marik? You've been good?"

If it was Ryou, he would never, ever speak in such a sarcastic tone to this guy. But Malik seemed fearless, and at once Marik looked up, eyes blazing in pure hatred. "Yes," he replied reluctantly, and Ryou knew the only reason he did that was because of the bracelets. He had a strong, rough voice, unlike Bakura, who had a smooth, more childish of a tone to himself*. Malik happily turned to look at Ryou, who's heart raced faster when he noticed Malik's back was facing Marik. "See? He's a good boy." Malik announced proudly.

"M-Malik, don't turn your back on him!" Ryou warned.

"What? Why not? Come on, he's tied up and I gave him a few orders before, like the way I told you," Malik grinned smugly, but Ryou remained concerned. Malik sighed in annoyance. "Look. Why don't you show me your man now?"

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

Bakura was bored. He lay on his back, one hand behind his head for comfort (those pillows were hard as stone), while the other played around with his dagger, flipping it through its fingers with not one scratch left on the pale skin (foolish guards didn't even notice he had a weapon), his legs bent in knees, one resting on the other mid-air (and all his pockets soundlessly empty of the precious gold and jewellery he stole but few hours ago).

Yes, Bakura was bored.

Growling his frustration like a wild dog, he grabbed the dagger's handle and was about to dig it right down, before he stopped himself upon the realization it was his own stomach resting there, not somebody else's. Sighing, he let his hand collapse by his side, the blade escaping his loosened grip and falling onto the ground with a metallic sound. He continued to stare at the ceiling, the frustration growing bigger and bigger. Bakura wasn't used to this; being trapped. It wasn't him who had to spend restless hours in a locked space (oh yes, they barricaded the door, those useless cowards), doing nothing. He grew far too used to being able to come out into the real word and roam around in someone else's body, doing whatever he wished to and more. And now there he lay, powerless against the will of some stupid spoilt brat!

"Arrgggh!" he yowled, sitting up and smashing his fists against the covers. It didn't help, so he jumped off the bed and reached for his dagger, the only thing he had left ever since he found himself in this strange new place, he caught the handle and attacked the closest object to him, which happened to be the old wooden box. Bakura stabbed at it again and again, eyes shut closed, as he imagined a certain young boy lay there in a pool of blood, begging for Bakura to stop. But he wouldn't stop, no, the brat deserved this and more, he didn't deserve for the older man to stop, he deserved to bleed to death in utter agony!

Finally, breathing heavily, Bakura sat back and slowly opened his eyes. The box ended its life, and now it was nothing but a few pieces of wood scattered on the cold ground. The albino only grunted in anger and got himself off the ground, still holding onto the dagger for dear life.

Just then, he heard footsteps outside, and someone approached his cell, gently pushing down the doorknob and opening the metal door.

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

Ryou slowly pulled the door to Bakura's room. Malik was right behind him, with his slave by his side. They told Malik's guards to stay downstairs, so on their way to the third floor, where Ryou's room was, the Prince felt uncomfortable, and couldn't stop the thoughts of Marik escaping somehow, and smashing their skulls against the floor. Now, that his own guards filled the room, he felt a bit safer again. But only a bit.

Before him, Bakura stood in the middle of the small cell, fists tightened, eyes blazing in fury. In front of the slave, on the ground, lay many pieces of old wood, and Ryou could easily guess what just happened. Gulping, he cleared his throat, and began to speak, hoping that Malik wouldn't think he was that bad of a slaver.

"Well, this is him, Malik. As you can see he's a bit... loco right now."

Malik walked past Ryou, and to the Prince's astonishment and horror, he stepped right into the room and began circling the albino, eyeing him up and down with an expert eye. Bakura remained motionless, but his eyes followed every one of Malik's movements, until the smaller boy stopped finally, and turned back to Ryou confidently.

"Um, Malik, I wouldn't..."

"I admit he doesn't look that dangerous," Malik interrupted, grinning. "But if he smashed whatever that wood used to be, I would be wary of him."

"Yes, so please..."

"But anyway, I think a bit of fresh air will do him good."

Ryou tilted his head in question, while Malik walked out of the cell.

"Well, why don't the four of us go to your garden?"

The Prince gave his friend a look that asked 'are you crazy?', but Malik smirked, and began to walk towards the door of Ryou's chamber. "Hurry up, then, me and Marik can't stay here for too long." With this, he motioned with a slim finger for Marik to follow, and the two of them disappeared into the corridor.

"H-hey! Malik!" Ryou cried, but he got no answer, so he only turned to Bakura and began to frankly think of what he should say. Bakura just glared. "Umm, let's go then. I mean, follow me. And don't..." He was about to say 'don't attack anyone', but then he remembered what Malik told him. "...don't come near any person; stay well out of the way of everyone. Do you understand?"

Bakura's eye twitched, but he nodded. Ryou, nervous as ever, tried to copy Malik's bravery and turned his back on the taller albino, ignoring his pounding heart. He then began to walk towards the exit of the room, wondering if Bakura was even following.

But as he stepped into the corridor and turned left, where the staircase was, he saw with a corner of his eye that the man was right behind, keeping his distance, but following Ryou's lead nonetheless. Somehow, that made Ryou feel... powerful.

He couldn't stop the smirk on his face (him! Smirk!). It felt surprisingly good to be bossing the taller albino around as if there was no tomorrow. Usually, through all of his life, Ryou would be very kind to his servants, and rather than ordering them to do things, he merely asked them if it was alright to do something for him, or requested simple things. But now, he began to understand just why Malik loved to be surrounded by slaves so much. The tan skinned boy's confidence also had its impact on the young Prince; after all, with the ever-wonderful bracelets, what could possibly go wrong? Bakura was obliged to follow Ryou's orders like a dog, and Ryou couldn't help but like that fact.

His thoughts were interrupted by an annoyed growl behind him. The Prince looked over his shoulder to be met with Bakura's hateful dark eyes, glaring at him so hard he thought the man would devour his very soul. Unaware of the reason for this sudden hatred, Ryou turned around again, and came upon the realization that he and Bakura were in the cellar. Ryou could only stop walking and simply stand there.

"Last I checked, Landlord," Bakura hissed. "The entrance to the garden was on the ground level, and not here underground."

"I know that! H-how do you..?" Ryou turned around again to look at Bakura's face. It had an expression of pity on it as Bakura replied.

"I've managed to give myself a little trip around your castle."

Ryou's mouth dropped open. Had Bakura been hanging around his castle while he escaped his cell? And still only killed the guards on the third floor? But then, why would he go back up? Why not escape?

The Prince only mumbled something under his nose and walked past Bakura, back to the stairs up. He must've been so concentrated on his thoughts that he didn't even notice he lead the way down to the cellar. What was funny to him though, was the fact that Bakura followed regardless.

With these thoughts in mind, Ryou found his way out in the garden. It was huge, covered in sand in a nice shade of orange-brown, with tall plants settled in vases all around, creating pathways of sorts in-between them. In the very middle of the garden, there was a polished, wooden round table, surrounded by chairs and benches. On one of the benches, Malik awaited, sitting cross-legged, while Marik hovered above him, in the position Ryou saw him before; head lowered so that his wild hair covered his face. Nearing towards the two of them, with Bakura following behind, Ryou remembered that he didn't take his robe with him, and he knew very well how merciless Egypt's sun could be. But before he could do anything, Malik called out to him.

"Took you long enough! Just what were you two doing up there?" he asked suspiciously, a displeased frown upon his face.

"That useless excuse for a Prince got lost inside of his own castle," Bakura replied right away. He crossed his arms on his chest and walked past Ryou, dumping himself onto a chair opposite of Malik, who only shot him a glare before returning his gaze to Ryou.

"Where's your robe?" Malik questioned further once Ryou approached and sat by his side.

"I left it inside," Ryou replied apologetically, at which Malik only rolled his eyes.

"Well, you can tell him to go and get it for you," the tan skinned boy announced, waving his hand in Bakura's direction vaguely. The latter remained still, except for his eyes, which narrowed dangerously.

"Umm, I'd rather not have him roam around my castle freely again," Ryou answered, at which Malik didn't reply, merely shrugging.

Then, they (or at least, Ryou and Malik) began to talk about different things. Malik asked why Ryou had allowed for Bakura to insult him, and told him to order the slave not to speak unless asked a question. Ryou had to awkwardly explain that he didn't want to make too much of a ruckus about it, while the real reason was because Ryou was far too nice to do that to Bakura, despite the things he's done. After that, Malik began complaining about how he just wants to finally be King, and how dumb it feels to be in control but know that you aren't in control at the same time. Ryou had to mainly nod and occasionally say 'yeah, I know', but otherwise he remained silent, letting Malik have his rant. Just as they were about to move on to the topic of what nasty evil things did Ryou plan to set upon his people once he was King (well, that was Malik's accusing idea), they heard loud, heavy footsteps nearby, and from the path that lead back to the castle, out came running one of Malik's guards, frankly yelling out his lord's name.

Instantly, the two Princes jolted up, and Malik asked what's happening. The guard panted out that an urgent message from his hometown came, and that Malik had to instantly go and see to it, as the messenger refused to speak to anyone but him. Malik began swearing about how they make such a big deal of a small thing, but as the guard pressured on, saying it was very, very important, the boy finally agreed to go.

"Ryou, you wait here," Malik said at once, already running after the guard, who, upon hearing his lord's agreement, sped back towards the castle. "Keep an eye on these two!"

"Malik! W-wait! Don't... go." Ryou began to shout after his friend, but finished off whispering. He looked at Marik, who, during the whole thing, simply raised his head up and observed everything silently, then glanced at Bakura, who in turn watched the scene at first startled as the two Princes, then laughing his ass off as he heard it was about an 'urgent message'. He also commented on how the Princes of this country had to face such horrible, mean tasks, like making messengers talk, but Ryou ignored him, sitting back down onto the bench. Much to his surprise, Marik collapsed onto one of the chairs, one without a prop, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, his head once again lowered.

At this, as if on some sort of signal, Bakura raised himself and having calmed down after his laughter attack, he neared Marik in a steady step. Ryou didn't know what to make out of this, so he simply watched as his slave bent down so that his mouth was in front of Marik's ear, and began whispering something; Marik remained still. The Prince had a bad feeling about this, so he spoke up.

"Bakura, stop talking to Marik," he ordered firmly. Bakura didn't even look at him, although he did move away from the tan skinned man, standing directly in front of him. Marik looked up, and Bakura showed him three fingers. Marik shook his head, at which Bakura responded with two fingers raised, and this time Marik nodded, though he looked reluctant about it.

"Bakura! Stop that!" Ryou shouted, unnerved. The albino glanced at him hatefully, then back at Marik. None of them moved, but it seemed Bakura was trying to find another way of telling Marik whatever it was they were discussing. Or at least, Bakura was, since the other still didn't speak at all.

Ryou was about to yell another command, forbidding whatever Bakura came up with, but then someone's voice echoed in his head. '_Sometimes, it isn't as simple as saying 'don't attack'. You have to think deeper into what you want your slave to do or not to do, and then decide on an order that will cover it up without bringing potential misunderstanding in.'_. Yes, that's right.

"Stop trying to communicate with Marik," Ryou said at once. Bakura glared, but he stepped away, sitting himself back down onto the bench he'd previously been on. Ryou felt a pang of satisfaction at this.

"Yes, yes, enjoy yourself all you can, Landlord," Bakura remarked sarcastically. Ryou frowned.

"Why do you call me 'landlord'? My father owns this land, not I," he said carefully.

Bakura glared at him for a long moment, before looking away. "A habit."

_Habit?_ Ryou thought, confused. _But he doesn't know me._ _How can it be a habit to call me that, then?_

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

The albino tapped his fingers impatiently against his knee, glancing at Marik every now and then. From where the brat was sitting, it looked as if Marik was still; but Bakura could see clearly him struggling against the rope with his hands. He did what he could to loosen it after he made Marik agree to working together so that Ryou wouldn't notice. At some point, aware of the boy's stare, he had to use his right (with his left busy loosening the rope) hand to show Marik how many guards were at the entrance of the castle inside, and whether he could handle them; Marik's reply was a no, but he agreed to take on two guards instead, leaving one to deal with Bakura. The latter wanted to use Marik's strength as much as possible without getting himself too worked out, since he didn't know what awaited them once (not if; Bakura was sure they'd escape easily) they got out, and given that they were both captured as slaves upon arriving in this place, it couldn't be anything good. Hence, Bakura had to be ready.

It took a few more minutes, but finally, Marik managed to free his hands. To Bakura's surprise, he grabbed at one of the bracelets on his wrists, and with a groan of sheer and utter frustration, he managed to break it in half; something Bakura spent the whole night trying to do with both fists and dagger.

Cursing the jealousy that filled his dark heart, the albino jolted up from his seat. Marik managed to do that already, and with a furious, meaningless roar he threw himself at Ryou, who could only yelp in shock and fear before the bigger man easily overpowered him. Bakura watched emotionlessly as Marik first dug his nails into Ryou's ribs, causing the other to scream in pain, then punch the smaller boy in the stomach, making him unable to make a sound. Ryou choked, barely being able to breathe, and Marik prepared another punch. Just then, Bakura couldn't take it.

"Marik, you idiot! Leave him alone; you should worry about _this_ instead!" he growled. Marik looked at him and it seemed he was about to say something like 'don't you tell me what to do!', but as he followed with his gaze where Bakura pointed, he quickly abandoned the teenager's body and prepared himself for a fight instead.

The Prince's screams were enough to alarm the guards before Marik managed to shut him up, much to Bakura's displeasure. Many bare-chested men ran in their direction, and though Bakura would rather escape and hide in the shadows, he couldn't, as they came from the castle; the way he and Marik had to go if they wanted to have any chances of escaping. Knowing that Marik wouldn't risk his own ass to save him and vice versa, Bakura had to take care of this quickly, before more guards could be alarmed. He took out his dagger, and gripping onto the handle, he launched himself at a nearest enemy.

Everything else happened so fast, he barely had the time to think; he heard screams and shouts and insults all around him, he heard Marik's battle cries, he heard his own voice yell insults and threats, he waved his dagger around madly, trying to avoid the powerful punches that were being thrown at him, he wasn't sure, he thought he killed three men but had no idea how many were left wounded, he heard more footsteps and vaguely saw a few other figures approaching them.

But this craziness only stopped once he heard two voices, one annoyed but calm, and one fearful and weak, as they spoke words that were unknown to him, and everything turned pure, bright white, before he felt his body hit the ground, and the whiteness faded to black.

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

Ryou was panting heavily, his ribs paining and his breath still hitched. He stood side by side with Malik, who arrived upon hearing the screams from the garden; the tanned Prince looked furious and offended. It was him who ran up to Ryou instead of involving himself in the fight, and upon casting a minor healing spell, he managed to get Ryou's stomach muscles fine and unclenched again. Then, the two of them cast a binding spell together, which, combined with the power of both of their skills, managed to not only stop Bakura and Marik, but also all the guards who fought against them.

Malik was actually an advanced Magician; he studied magic and found it utterly easy to learn, so he devoured all the spells and became more powerful with each lesson. Although Ryou also studied magic, the two of them favoured different types of spells; while Ryou preferred the Light magic, which was also the most difficult and advanced to learn, Malik enjoyed the offensive Fire magic better. It wasn't much to Ryou's surprise, given Malik's hot-headed personality easily corresponded to those types of spells. Still, the two of them were made to learn some other spells too, and since Malik was more advanced than Ryou, he managed to master a small healing spell, which he earlier cast onto Ryou. The latter now realized just how important the defensive magic can be, and promised himself to study Water magic more often.

Either way, the guards and the slaves alike lay at their feet now, unconscious under the power of their spell. Ryou felt slightly guilty.

"Didn't we go too hard on them?" he murmured.

"Too hard? Look what they did to your garden! And to you!" Malik snorted, looking at his friend as if he were crazy. Now that the albino looked at it, his garden was mostly destroyed where the fighting occurred. He sighed heavily. "We need to renew the bracelets," he told one of the Healers, whom flooded into the garden upon seeing the scene end. Healers were no fighters, so they were too afraid to openly come out with the fight still on. Now that everyone lay fast asleep, they could easily tend to wounds.

"Yes, m'lord," the man replied, and he walked up to Marik cautiously, as if he expected the man to suddenly get up and attack. But Marik remained still, so the Healer bent down and began to repair the broken bracelet, which Marik was actually still clutching in his hand.

As more Healers and guards came in to help carry the few dead bodies, Ryou felt strange. He felt as if he should grab a sword and stab at Bakura's neck for all he's done. He found it bitterly, bitterly funny that nobody would do so if he disallowed them to, that they'd accept the fact their companions were dead and their killer was alive and unpunished. It was wrong, Ryou knew. Bakura caused more misery in a day's time than Ryou could ever think of, and Ryou just let it go? Ridiculous. No, something had to be done. Something so that he wouldn't have to be seeing it again; grim faces of the Healers, who were made to attend to the culprit's wounds, and depressed expressions of the guards as they carried the bodies of their friends, whom faithfully died for their future Lord. And no-one looked at him.

His sad thoughts were interrupted by Malik's loud, ever-strong voice. "Ryou, I need to leave urgently in a minute."

Just now the Prince realized that four of Malik's guards surrounded them, and a man Ryou didn't recognize; he wore a long, purple robe and a turban, but otherwise, he looked foreign. The petite boy looked over at his friend, and nodded.

"But I can't take Marik with me."

"WHAT?" Ryou's eyes widened. "You're not telling me to...?"

"Yeah."

"But why?"

"He's unconscious, and I can't carry him. Besides, where I'm going he'd only be a burden."

Ryou frowned in question, but Malik just shook his head. The unknown man in the turban cleared his throat impatiently, so Malik rushed his words. "Look, Ryou. It'll only be for a few days, but I really must go now, so I have to leave him with you. Feel free to punish him though; he deserves it for what he's done."

"But where are you going? Malik!"

Malik was already walking off. "No time! I'll tell you once I'm back!"

And with those words, Malik disappeared into the castle's gates, leaving Ryou standing there alone in shock. He ignored it as one of the Healers neared him and began asking him to take off his shirt so he can have a look at Ryou's wounded skin - the only thing that echoed in his head was: "I'm left alone with two murderers who killed my men." The Prince didn't even realize his thoughts became words as he spoke them out in a terrified whisper.

* = Japanese voice actors pwn English ones. Personally, in this story, I imagine all of the guys speak in a voice of their Japanese voice actors, the only difference being that they say English words XD. So Bakura has this 'evil brat' voice, and Ryou has this 'innocent kid' voice. English ones are just too rough and the all sound like 30 year old men. Did you hear Yugi? Lol, fail.


	4. Madman's Faith

**Author's note:** Okay...

I AM SOOO SORRY FOR THE DELAY EVERYONEEE D:

I really am /so/ sorry. But I had a lot of things going on in real life, amongst exams and family problems and a few more things. However, now that we have a Christmas Break, I'll hopefully write a lot of chapters to make up for the absence. Forgive me, please?

Thank you so much as well for all the reviews and favourites. I shall not disappoint you – this story **will** be finished and written 'til the end c:

Anyway. Here we go; finally, dearest Atem makes his appearance.

By the way, did I ever mention that I didn't watch Yu-Gi-Oh, ever? Haha. Let's see how I handle him.

**Warning(s) for this chapter** – Minor swearing.

*/*/*

In the end, Ryou spent the rest of the day under the care of his Healers inside of the castle, told to lie in his bed despite his protests and reassurances that he was going to be fine. The overprotective Water Magicians (especially the female ones) told him it is a must for him to stay in bed at least until the next day. Meanwhile, they had Bakura locked back in his little chamber inside of Ryou's own, while Marik has been taken underground to the prison, thrown into a cell. Ryou knew Malik wouldn't appreciate this if he knew about it, but for now he didn't have the mind to try and think of a more comfortable place for the tan-skinned man, and he definitely wouldn't risk locking him up together with Bakura.

Last Ryou saw him, the albino was still unconscious, carried by one of the guards that had him swung over his shoulder. He has been thrown onto his hard bed and the door to his 'room' have been closed and barricaded once more. Possibly for the better.

As the evening strolled along, Ryou asked his Healers to leave him for the night. It took a bit of persuading, but finally, they left, and now he was in the room only with the five guards. He felt very odd having men stand inside of his room while he tried to sleep, but knowing it was for his own safety, he turned his back on them, facing the other side of the room instead, and attempted to forget their existence.

It was fairly quiet, so Ryou could only guess that Bakura wasn't awake yet. Although he himself was tired, he still couldn't fall asleep, numerous thoughts flooding his mind.

First came his slave. What if he somehow would manage to escape at night? What if he'd kill Ryou this very evening? And if not, then what would happen in the morning anyway? He couldn't keep Bakura locked in his tiny chamber forever. The thoughts of what else the crazy albino might come up with in order to escape only succeeded in making Ryou feel sick.

Then came Marik. Ryou's worries were similar to those that accompanied Bakura. What if the slave would break his bracelets again during the night and slaughter his men? What if he'd refuse to listen to Ryou, now that his initial Master was absent?

So on came thoughts of Malik. What was that boy thinking, leaving Ryou with his slave like that? And where did he go, anyway? What could possibly be so important that he had to leave instantly, and for a period of a few days, too? Ryou had a feeling something was up.

Sighing to himself, the poor soul tried his very best to rid of the thoughts and clear his mind of everything, hoping it would help him fall asleep, and that he'd make it until the morning.

/

Indeed, he did in fact make it. He awoke to the warm sun's rays caressing his pale features, the morning light not yet as harsh as it was in the noon. He mumbled something and rubbed his eyes sleepily, before slowly raising himself to a sitting position. He looked around, and upon seeing a man standing by his bed, he gasped and almost jumped back, before realizing it was one of his own guards.

"Apologies, Sir Ryou, sir, but I was about to wake you up. I am most glad you did so by yourself before I had the chance to; please forgive the disturbance."

"Oh, em." Ryou paused, calming down slightly. "No, no, it's alright. Why did you want to wake me?"

"You see, m'lord, sir, there was a small problem we were facing."

"Problem?" Ryou repeated, gulping, already thinking of either of the slaves doing something bad.

"Yes, my lord, sir. But you better prepare yourself for the day first – it is nothing that needs attending to right away."

Ryou hesitated, but nodded. He got out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom chamber. After a small wash and changing into his casual outfit (it was there ready for him, prepared by his servants as always), Ryou walked out. The guard was still there and, upon seeing him, nodded his head. "Please follow me, Your Highness, sir."

The petite boy followed the man. He was lead downstairs to where the main hall was. As they walked down the stairs, Ryou noticed that near the gate of his palace there stood a group of men; most were actually his guards, dressed in long blue pants and vests of the same shade as they always were, small, vertical turbans wrapped around their heads. The two of them surrounded one person: a tall, tan-skinned boy that looked about Ryou's age. His eyes were large and narrow, violet in colour, while his hair was huge and spiky, even spikier than Marik's. What surprised Ryou was its colour: it was blond intertwined with purple.

The guard lead him towards the group, and the foreign man was pushed forward so that he stood directly in front of Ryou, one of the guards holding his hands behind his back.

"Let me go, you forceful ox!" he shouted furiously, trying to free himself.

"Don't you talk like that in front of the Prince!" the guard holding him replied, tightening his grip.

"This man, my lord," spoke the guard that firstly lead the confused Ryou down here. "Has been caught attempting to rob our dealers out in the town. They were occupying their usual places in the town market, selling Your Royal Father's goods, when he came along and tried to steal! He was caught taking precious tropical food shipped all the way from Karalma* and also some of our expensive jewellery."

Upon hearing this, Ryou frowned in displeasure. He observed the struggling man for a while, before asking: "How old are you?"

"Sixteen," the boy replied grimly. Ah, a teenager.

"Why did you steal from our men?" Ryou questioned further.

"I needed the food!" The thief spat angrily. The guard holding him shook him slightly by the hands, warning him to behave himself, but Ryou asked him not to do that.

"And why did you need it?" he asked calmly.

"None of your business!"

"Of course," Ryou nodded, as his guards gave him uncertain looks. He didn't mind. He was beginning to see where this was possibly going. "Where do you live?"

"In the streets," the boy murmured vaguely. Ah-ha.

"You need the food because you lack the money to buy it," Ryou stated this rather than asked, and after a moment of hesitation, the boy nodded reluctantly. "And you figure the best way to go around it is to steal."

"What else do you expect me to do?" snorted the teenager.

"My lord, I apologise for the interruption, but what will you do with him?" asked one of the guards.

"Well," Ryou pondered for a few minutes. "I think we will have to put him in a cell for a while, so he can think about his behaviour." Ryou was lying. He wanted to put the homeless boy in the cell so that he could be given a place to sleep, food, drink and clothes to wear. And yet..

"No! You can't do that!" the thief gasped, his eyes wide in fear. "No! I can't stay here!"

"No?" Ryou tilted his head. "Whyever not? I assure you that you are going to be fed and..."

"That's not the point!" The boy cut him off, now trying to free himself again. "I can't stay here!"

"But why?"

"Sir, we will keep him despite what he says. Don't worry, sir, you are in charge here," One of the guards reassured him, but the albino ignored him.

"What? You can't! No! Let me go!"

"Calm down and tell me why can't you stay!" Ryou did not shout, but he raised his voice ever so slightly, motivation overpowering him for a moment. The boy calmed down and stopped struggling.

"I... I have.." he trailed off, staring at Ryou. The two of them looked into each other's eyes for a while, and finally, the boy deemed it safe to tell the Prince. "My... brother. Uh, I have a small brother out there," he explained, eyes travelling down onto the polished floor. "I can't just leave him out there all on his own. Sooner or later, they'll get him."

"They?" Ryou asked.

"Well, I don't mean anyone in particular," The boy quickly explained. "But just, somebody will hurt him.. please, he is still small..."

Ryou had a feeling there was something the thief was still hiding, but he couldn't possibly let a poor child be left alone in the streets, could he? It was too cruel.

"My lord," a guard tried once more. "Truly, it is fine. A fair punishment, too; maybe he will learn with this that stealing from us is a big mistake!"

Ryou chuckled at the 'from us' the guard used. How selfish were people of today. Him too – locked away in his castle, with tones of food, fresh water, best clothes and huge chambers to sleep in, safe and sound while people just a few feet away died of starvation. Oh, how he wanted to be King already.

"What is your name?" Ryou asked calmly.

"Atem," the blonde replied.

_Somehow_, the Prince thought, _that sounds familiar_.

"Well, Atem," he stated, ignoring his thoughts for now. "You will now take me and my guards out to the city and to this young boy you speak of."

"What? No! You'll take him! You'll hurt him!" Atem accused instantly.

"I won't." Ryou replied. Atem continued to yell objections all the same. "You either take us to him so we can help him, or you are being taken down to prison and leaving him behind."

Atem paused, concerned violet eyes pleadingly staring into his own. Ryou felt guilty for making him stand against such a choice; he knew that he, too, would be terrified of giving his sibling away to someone, especially considering people's cruelty, but he also knew that the child would come to no harm so long as he was there.

Finally, the boy sighed in defeat. His shoulders sagged, his head lowered and he murmured a quiet agreement to lead them to his brother. Ryou nodded at his men.

"Sir, are you sure you want to go, sir?" A guard asked him.

"I am, yes," Ryou replied.

And so they took off.

So soon as they left the castle gates, the strong men surrounding their Prince to protect him from any threats, with one in front of him, leading the tan-skinned boy, they sure attracted the attention of a lot of locals.

"It's the Prince! Prince Ryou is out!"

"Look at him, he's grown. Last I saw him, he was a small child in his carer's arms!"

"But look at his _clothes_! They must be made of richest silk! Oh my goodness!"

"I'm sure he'll do a fine King indeed when his time comes."

"No, he is a spoilt, weak brat! Look at him! Walking by us, poor homeless people, as if we don't exist!"

Ignoring these half-whispered comments, the eyes that observed him, some with joy, others with anger, Ryou walked on. He heard beggars moan out their cries, asking for a tiniest bit of food or cloth, some even attempted to get near him, being knocked out by his guards. He felt guilty, but he's been through it all; he knew there was nothing he could do, whether people blamed him or not.

Atem lead them deeper into the streets, into the richer areas, where people were more polite and didn't stare as much. He continued on, turning at strangest of corners, until they arrived upon a rather dark, empty alley, the brown buildings seemingly grey due to the shadows cast on them. He lead them to a place between two buildings. Ryou didn't see anything that could do for a possible hiding place, and began suspecting that Atem lead them to no-where, just as the boy stopped in front of the wall that connected the buildings, blocking their way.

"Let me go."

"Atem, where is your brother?" he asked calmly.

"You have to let my hands go. I'll get him out."

Ryou didn't like the sound of this, and neither did his guards. After quieting them down as they shouted threats and insults, he ordered them to free Atem.

"But my lord! This is a trick! What if he escapes?"

"We are in the way of his only escape route. If anything, we'll stop him," Ryou pointed out wisely. The guard holding Atem hesitated, but nodded and let go of Atem's hands, then stepped back to observe him.

The teenager rubbed his hands for a moment, then looked at Ryou. His eyes seemed neutral at a first glance, but as he gazed on, Ryou saw the fear and pleading underneath the mask of emotionlessness. The albino nodded lightly, hoping this would reassure the boy that he had no bad intentions. Atem sighed and, with one last pleading look at Ryou, he turned back to the wall.

He knelt down onto the dirty sand-covered ground and slowly reached out his hand to the very bottom of the building. He then banged onto the wall several times and murmured: "Yugi? Yugi, it's me. Come out."

"Atem?" A small, scared voice echoed through the walls, and Ryou noticed that the place where Atem banged before was now moving. Soon enough, a small bit of the wall fell right off, landing on the ground with a small thump and rising clouds of dust in the air. The hole really wasn't big, Ryou was sure that if he put both of his palms in front of it, he'd barely be able to fit them in. Yet from that tiny mouse hole out came a small, childish face, dirtied with dust. Shiny, violet eyes were glued to Atem as he climbed out, his hair as if a copy of the older boy's. Once out, he clang onto Atem, hugging his neck, and the teenager stood up, holding the boy in his arms.

The child was incredibly thin: through his shattered rags that revealed the poor boy's belly, legs and arms, offering minimal protection to his scarred body, Ryou could see his ribs, and his joints so skinny that the only way he could compare them to something was to put his hand in front of himself, sideways, measuring his body that way, and yet still, he was even thinner than this.

"My God." Ryou whispered.

To his horror, his guards launched themselves at Atem, for whatever reason. "No! Don't hurt him!" Atem cried desperately, turning away from the attacking men, shielding the, now sobbing, boy with his own body.

"Stop!" Ryou ordered firmly just as the guards managed to separate the child from his protector, holding Atem by his hands again. "What in the world are you doing!"

The guards gave him a confused look for a moment, before one of them spoke, the one holding the child, squeezing him in his arms as if he were a toy, ignoring the cries and shouts and pleas. "Well, what if this is some kind of a trick? What if it isn't really a child?"

Ryou considered it for less than a second, before shaking his head. "Ridiculous!"

"Sorry, Your Highness, but we were trained this way. We cannot risk them being near each other, nor near you."

Ryou sighed. He should've known. He looked at Atem. The boy was glaring at him accusingly, in terror and anger all at once. "We're going back to the castle. All of us." He decided, and, turning around, began the journey back, knowing this was the least he could do for the two homeless children.

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

Slowly, he opened his eyes. His head hurt like hell, and he felt a bit sick. He briefly wondered whether it was him or his Landlord that decided to have a drinking party, before the realization struck him. He jolted up from the bed and looked around. Darkness.

Of course. He was still here, after all. No Landlord, no drinking, no Shadow Realm, no town, no nothing, only the stupid brat who pretended to be Ryou for whatever reason, claiming to be a Prince of Egypt. He really needed to figure out just what on earth was going on.

Vaguely remembering yesterday's happenings (he assumed it was at least a day that had passed, due to the rather numb feeling in his limbs), he sighed and massaged his forehead, wanting the pain to go away. He could only wonder what awaited him next. Was he already put to death sentence? Or was he being sent somewhere else? Ah, who cares. He wouldn't give up, whatever they decide to do with him.

Feeling useless and powerless and bored, he fell back onto the bed, frustrated at being locked in such a tiny room. He cursed all that lived in this damn castle and willed them dead as he tried to occupy himself with something. Then, he heard noises outside. People talking. Having nothing better to do, he jumped off the hard bed and pressed his ear against the door.

~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~

Eventually arriving back to the castle, Ryou ordered for Atem and his brother to be washed, fed and given proper clothing. An hour later, they stood in front of him in his chamber, clean, full and dressed in the most comfortable clothing that could be found in their sizes.

"You look much better, now," Ryou stated, smiling at them. They smiled, too.

"But what will happen to us now?" Atem asked, the smile sliding off of his face. "We can't stay here."

Ryou thought about it for a moment. "There's only one thing to do," he said slowly. Upon seeing the questioning faces of the children, he sighed. "The only way to get you to stay here legally is by having you as my slaves."

"What?" Atem asked, offended, already hugging his brother to his chest. "No! I won't let you enslave Yugi! Or me!"

"It's the only way," Ryou repeated. "It's this, or you're back out in the town."

Atem paused. "Why can't we be servants, instead?"

"You are underage, so you can't be servants. Besides, it is up to the King to hire servants, not me, and I don't think he'd appreciate two children like you."

"I'm not a child!" Atem protested.

Silence filled the room, and Ryou knew that Atem was considering the Prince's words.

"But.. what will happen to us, exactly?" he asked at last.

"Yugi will be taken under the care of my best servants," Ryou reassured him, having learnt the child's name before. "He will be treated like any child would in a King's Palace, with the exception that if anyone asks, he is a mere slave."

Atem nodded slowly. "And I?" he added uncertainly.

"Well..." Ryou gave him a careful look. "You said you were sixteen?" Atem nodded in reply. "That means you are the age of a, well, grown-up slave. So, you'd be treated just like one... That would mean sleeping downstairs in the cellar with the other slaves and doing whatever work that is assigned to you."

Atem closed his eyes for a moment. Ryou let him take his time. Finally re-opening them, he sighed. "There will be food?"

"Food, water, clothes and safety," Ryou confirmed.

Atem sighed once more, hugging his little brother tightly. "Will I see him?"

Ryou shook his head. "Slaves are not allowed in the upper floors unless assigned special tasks by the order of the King or me. And that's where he'd be."

"Whaat? Atem, what is he saying? I don't want to leave youuu!" Yugi cried, snuggling into his brother's neck.

"Yugi..." the teenager murmured, massaging the boy's back. He looked at Ryou, who gazed at him sadly. "I don't think I have much choice here, do I? Very well, Prince. We will be your slaves."

Ryou nodded simply. "I will not be making you official slaves."

"What do you mean?"

"No papers involved. I don't want you to still be enslaved if something happens to me," he said, trying to push the image of Bakura with a sick grin and blood-covered hands away from his mind. "If asked, you say you are slaves to everyone, and no exceptions. You behave like ones, you are treated like ones, but you are not slaves. Alright?"

There was a moment of silence.

"You are too kind." Was all Atem could say.

/*/*/

And? What did you guys think? o: I can only hope you liked it. It was hard to write, for some reason. Personally, I miss Bakura's tricks. We'll have to give him more attention in the next chapter *grin*. And of course, Marik too. And Atem, and his (?) brother, Yugi. And oh, by the way, where is this promised JxK, eh? Yep, all comin' up next. I can't wait to get writing.

Anyway, thanks for reading, person (:

* - As mentioned before, this is not the actual Ancient Egypt. It is something like it's alternate, with magic and blablabla. Hence for the made-up town name; most of the 'other' parts of the world in this fiction (for now) will be made up, so please get accustomed to the weird names, haha.


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